A new document on freedom
of expression and opinion, adopted May 12 by the 28 foreign ministers of the
European Union, presses nearly all the right buttons. Drawing its inspiration
from international human rights norms as well as from the EU's treaties and its
charter of fundamental rights, the document reaffirms the role of freedom of
opinion and expression as "an essential foundation for democracy, rule of law,
peace, stability, sustainable inclusive development, and participation in
public affairs." It also makes a strong case for free and independent
journalism. The ministers committed the EU and member states to the defense of
journalists' freedom and safety, and endorsed watchdog journalism as a decisive
factor in "uncovering abuses of power, shining a light on corruption, and
questioning received opinion."

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Judith Spiegel, who reports for multiple Dutch outlets in Yemen, and her
husband, Boudewijn Berendsen, were released six months after being taken
hostage by an unknown group, the Dutch and Yemeni governments said in a
joint statement on December 10, 2013.

The celebration Tuesday of the 50th
anniversary of the Association of European
Journalists (AEJ) should have been a joyful and lighthearted affair.
Dozens of journalists from all parts of the European Union had traveled to
Brussels to share memories, new projects, champagne, and petits fours.

New York, September 16, 2010--The Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights unanimously held that media premises are exempt from police searches, marking a major victory for press freedom across the continent on Tuesday, the Committee to Protect Journalists said. CPJ had joined in the amicus curiae.

An investigating judge in The Hague ordered the detention of Mos and de Haas for not revealing the identity of sources for a story they wrote for the Amsterdam-based independent daily De Telegraaf. On January 21, Mos and de Haas published the first in a series of articles about alleged access of the local mafia to classified files of the Dutch intelligence service, De Telegraaf editor Schell Paradigs told CPJ.